The Bears offense has been nothing short of terrible in 2019, and whenever an offense struggles, the first position that's criticized is the quarterback.
That's been the case with the Bears throughout this season. Mitch Trubisky has been highlighted as the primary reason for Chicago's struggles, but according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Bears have tuned out the noise and remain confident in the player they selected second overall back in 2017.
"There's been so much scrutiny about Mitch Trubisky and his play and yes, Bears people do believe his decision making late last week was affected by his injury in part, that's why he ended up on the sideline," Rapoport said. "Of course, he does need to play better, but there is, I'm told, serious confidence from this organization in Trubisky.
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"They believe it's not just him on offense, the entire offense needs to play better. They have pre-snap penalties, receivers running the wrong routes, run-game issues, coaching issues. Yes, Trubisky needs to play better, but really it's the entire offense that needs to improve."
This is kind of like the chicken or the egg debate, isn't it? An argument could be made that if Trubisky flashed franchise-quarterback ability, his play would trickle down to the rest of the offense and have a positive impact on the running game. At the same time, if he's consistently pressured or throwing to receivers who aren't where they're supposed to be, does he really have the chance to put his skill set on display?
Trubisky's logged nine starts in 2019, but his Week 4 game against the Vikings was limited to just three attempts before suffering a shoulder injury. He's completed 62.4 percent of his passes for 1,580 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions. His numbers are nowhere near what's expected from a player with his draft pedigree, but he's just one of several recent highly drafted quarterbacks who are struggling this year.
Trubisky's 82.2 passer rating rates among the worst of all starting quarterbacks, but he's joined by Jared Goff (Rams, 82.1), Sam Darnold (Jets, 81.1) and James Winston (Buccaneers, 80.5) in that undesirable tier. All four of them were drafted either first, second or third overall since 2015.
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Much like Tampa Bay and Los Angeles have stuck with Winston and Goff despite their up-and-down career, it's becoming increasingly clear the Bears will do the same with Trubisky at least through this season and likely into next year, too.